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    • Main contributor: James L. Tanner
    Winnipeg Skyline, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    Manitoba, often referred to as “The Heart of Canada”, is one of the three Prairie Provinces in Canada.[1] It is located at the center of the country, bordered by Saskatchewan to the west, Hudson Bay and Ontario to the east, Nunavut to the north, and North Dakota and Minnesota (United States) to the south.[2] In terms of size, Manitoba is the sixth-largest province in Canada, with an area of approximately 250,116 square miles (647,797 square kilometers).[3] This makes it larger than England.[2] The estimated population of Manitoba in 2024 was about 1.42 million people, making it the fifth most populous province or territory in Canada.[4]

    Manitoba’s economy is a market economy based largely on natural resources.[5] Its Gross Domestic Product was C$69 billion in 2023.[6] The province’s economy relies heavily on agriculture, tourism, energy, oil, mining, and forestry.[5] Agriculture is vital and is found mostly in the southern half of the province. Manitoba’s primary crops are wheat, canola, flaxseed, barley, oats, and rye. Aside from these, the province dominates Canadian production of sunflower seeds, buckwheat, and field peas.[7] Other major industries are transportation, manufacturing, mining, forestry, energy, and tourism.[7]

    Manitoba is home to several National. Provincial Parks and Historic Sites including Riding Mountain National Park, Pinawa Dam Provincial Heritage Park, Elk Island National Park, Lundar Beach Provincial Park, The Forks National Historic Site, and many more Provincial Parks.[8]

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    History of ManitobaHistory of Manitoba

    The original inhabitants of Manitoba Province were the Assiniboine, Dakota, Dene, and Cree. The first European to spend time in what is now known as Manitoba was Sir Thomas Button in 1612, who is given credit for leading an expedition into the lands bounding the west coast of Hudson Bay.[9] On 15 May 1912, Port Nelson was included in the territory given to the Province of Manitoba on the extension of its boundaries. Because of this early exploration, Thomas Button Is considered to be the first white man to visit this area which now belongs to Manitoba.[10] Hudson Bay was named after its discoverer, Henry Hudson.[11] European fur traders first travelled to the area of Manitoba in the late-17th century, developing trade networks with several First Nations.[12]

    In 1670, Britain declared sovereignty[13] over the watershed of Hudson’s Bay, known as Rupert’s Land.[14] The Hudson’s Bay Company was granted a commercial monopoly over the territory.[14] After the French and Indian War in 1763, the French colony of New France was ceded to the British, ending any competition between European claims to the North-West. Traders from the Hudson’s Bay Company expanded their operations to areas formerly occupied by French fur trading forts.[15]

    In 1811, Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk established the first agricultural settler colony in Rupert’s Land, the Red River Colony, around the Red River of the North.[16] In 1870, the Deed of Surrender was enacted, transferring Rupert’s Land from the United Kingdom to the Government of Canada, forming the North-West Territories.[13] [14] In response to the Red River Rebellion, the province of Manitoba was established around the lands of the Red River Colony. Manitoba became Canada’s fifth province when the area that had been the Red River Settlement was admitted to the confederation in 1870.[17]

    The shift from a largely agricultural and extractive economy to one that engaged in manufacturing was propelled by the shift from wind to steam power, and the embrace of new transportation technologies.[18] The successful settlement of the western United States in the 19th century encouraged expansionists in Central Canada to look to the western regions of British North America as Canada’s natural hinterland.[19] The agricultural potential of the vast prairie lands west of Red River was documented by two scientific expeditions in 1857.[19] The federal government encouraged western settlement by providing land to would-be settlers.[20]

    As the 20th Century began, immigration to Manitoba boomed, fueled by massive government advertising, social conditions in Europe, and the decline in available land in the United States.[19] Manitoba’s economy was transformed during the early part of the century. A strong agricultural sector, diversified among wheat and other grains, livestock, and market gardening, provided the basis for a rapid increase in the commercial and industrial economy, especially around Winnipeg.[21]

    Demographics of ManitobaDemographics of Manitoba

    The demographic distribution of the Manitoba population is as follows:[22]

    At the 2006 census, the ethnic composition of Manitoba was 69.9% white, 13.08% visible minority groups and 17% Aboriginal (11% First Nations, 6.5% Metis). The visible minority groups included:

    • Filipino: 5%
    • South Asian: 2.2%
    • Black: 1.7%
    • Chinese: 1.5%
    • Latin American: 0.8%
    • Southeast Asian: 0.7%
    • Arab: 0.3%
    • Korean: 0.3%
    • West Asian: 0.2%
    • Japanese: 0.2%

    The most common ethnic origins in Manitoba are:

    • English: 22.1%
    • German: 19.1%
    • Scottish: 18.5%
    • Canadian: 18.2%
    • Ukrainian: 14.7%
    • Irish: 13.4%
    • French: 13.1%
    • North American Indian: 10.6%
    • Polish: 7.3%
    • Metis: 6.4%
    • Dutch: 4.9%
    • Russian: 4.0%
    • Icelandic: 2.7%

    Manitoba has the largest Icelandic population outside of Iceland, with about 35% living in Manitoba. There are at least 40 languages spoken in Manitoba.

    Most common surnames in ManitobaMost common surnames in Manitoba

    The demographic distribution of Manitoba surnames is as follows:[23]

    Surname Incidence Frequency
    Friesen 9,120 1:157
    Smith 8,451 1:169
    Wiebe 6,824 1:210
    Klassen 5,666 1:252
    Penner 5,584 1:256
    Johnson 5,257 1:272
    Anderson 5,070 1:282
    Brown 4,726 1:303
    Dyck 4,532 1:316
    Peters 4,329 1:330

    Researching family history in ManitobaResearching family history in Manitoba

    The Archives of Manitoba is the home to the Hudson Bay Company Archivesand many other useful records. The University of Winnipeg has an active Oral History Center. The University of Winnipeg Special Collections has may valuable collections including a East European Genealogical Society Collection. Manitoba Public Libraries has 69 branch locations. The Manitoba Vital Statistics Branch registers vital events (birth, death, marriage, stillbirth and change of name) in Manitoba and provides documents as proof of those events. The Manitoba Genealogical Society has an active genealogical name database. The Manitoba Historical Society houses a historic archive. Vital records are kept at the provincial level.

    Manitoba counties and municipalitiesManitoba counties and municipalities

    Manitoba does not have functioning counties. The Local Government Districts Act, enacted in 1987, allows the formation of local government districts as another municipality type. Of Manitoba's 137 municipalities, 37 of them are urban municipalities (10 cities, 25 towns and 2 villages), 98 are rural municipalities and 2 are local government districts.[24] Below the provincial level of government, Manitoba is divided into municipalities of two types: urban and rural. A municipality in Manitoba is "a municipality that is continued or formed under" the Municipal Act, which was enacted in 1996.[25] The Archives of Manitoba acquires and preserves records of archival value from Manitoba municipalities. Many municipalities have already donated records to the Archives of Manitoba.[26]

    See alsoSee also

    Explore more about ManitobaExplore more about Manitoba

    MyHeritage.com has eight helpful collections of Manitoba records including the 1916 Canada Census of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, the 1906 Canada Census of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, the Canada, Manitoba, Birth Index, 1880-1919, the Canada, Manitoba, Marriage Index, 1900-1940, and the Canada, Manitoba, Death Index, 1880-1949. Look in the Manitoba Collections Catalog for additional records.


    References

    1. ↑ 15 Things Manitoba is Known and Famous For
    2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 45 Fun Facts About Manitoba Canada worth knowing
    3. ↑ Manitoba Maps & Facts
    4. ↑ Canadian Provinces and Territories By Population
    5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Manitoba: A Dynamic Economy | International Education | Province of Manitoba
    6. ↑ GDP of Manitoba, Canada 2023
    7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Industries and resources in Manitoba
    8. ↑ Parks and Protected Spaces | Environment and Climate Change | Province of Manitoba
    9. ↑ Memorable Manitobans: Thomas Button (?-1634)
    10. ↑ Memorable Manitobans: Thomas Button (?-1634)
    11. ↑ Henry Hudson
    12. ↑ Indigenous Peoples in Canada
    13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Rupert's Land
    14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Rupert's Land - Canada's History
    15. ↑ Hudson's Bay Company
    16. ↑ Red River Colony | The Canadian Encyclopedia
    17. ↑ Manitoba | History, Facts, Population, & Map | Britannica
    18. ↑ Industrialization in Canada
    19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 Manitoba - Prairie, Fur Trade, Indigenous | Britannica
    20. ↑ History of Settlement in the Canadian Prairies
    21. ↑ Manitoba
    22. ↑ Manitoba Population 2024
    23. ↑ Most Common Surnames in Manitoba, With Meanings
    24. ↑ List of municipalities - Manitoba
    25. ↑ Province of Manitoba | v1 - Enabling Legislation
    26. ↑ Donating Municipal Records | Donating Records | Archives of Manitoba
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